Surly, sweet, independent, protective, aloof—Martha Szabo’s work manages to capture the personality and emotion of the animals she paints, in a method not strictly realistic, nor abstract, yet more than both combined. One feels, on viewing the work, one knows the animal—something of spirit is mysteriously conveyed. On board or canvas, the animal fully occupies the space.

The history of animals in art—and animal portraiture—is a long and venerable one; Szabo continues the tradition and draws upon it in her own manner, a style both honest and modern. These animals are situated very much in the present. The images are clearly of our time, knowledgeable cats and dogs who are inhabitants and observers of the 21st century.

It is hard to view these works without wishing for one’s own pet (pet? No: companion, partner, friend, tormentor, confidant) to be embodied in such a fashion, as a record for the ages.

Tama Janowitz, Brooklyn, NY, September 2003

Private Collections

Christian Keesee

Kevin Bacon & Kyra Sedgwick

Eric Stoltz

Estate of Eleanor J. Mondale

Paige Powell

Tama Janowitz